A Simple Question

A number of years ago Far Guy’s Mother was in the Nursing Home. She preferred to eat her meals in her room, we encouraged her to eat with her group at meal times. In doing so we would try to schedule a visit around the noon or the evening meal. She struggled with the food, I admit sometimes it looked very unappetizing. Her table mates were Blanche and Betty, when we would wheel her out to her table the "girls" would greet her warmly. So we would hang out and talk to the "girls" and encourage Far Guys Mom to eat. If she ate she felt better, if she drank her milk and juice she felt better. If she felt better so did we. In the two years that she was in the home Far Guy visited her almost every day. I accompanied him once or twice a week.

On one of those visits Betty grabbed my arm and asked "Do you bake bread?" I laughed and replied " No, my Mother did years ago, and Far Guy’s Mom was a really good bread baker ..hardly anyone bakes bread anymore." She sadly stated "I am so hungry for freshly baked bread, the bread in here isn’t fit to eat."

On our way home Far Guy wondered aloud if he could learn to bake bread the old way. I told him perhaps he should take lessons from his Aunt Louise. I am thinking… hey this is a great idea, he is not only going to be a great cook but a baker too! Instead I opened my big mouth and said "Well your Aunt Louise bakes bread every week, you just need to ask her to share with Betty!" And he did, Betty got the fresh bread she dreamed of and a good bread baker was honored to share her baking skills. Aunt Louise bakes the best bread ever! I still think Far Guy should take lessons.

Do I bake bread? No, unless you count taking out a loaf of frozen bread and putting it in an old bread pan to rise and bake, or dumping the required ingredients into Far Guys automatic bread maker. I used to watch my Mother mix and kneed and bake, I used to enjoy the smell and the taste of a freshly sliced warm piece of bread slathered in butter. Do you bake bread?

11 Responses to A Simple Question

Far Side of Fifty,
I just now realized there are comments on my blog posts, and many from you. Thank you kindly. They are very generous. I will make sure to link to you from mine when I get a chance. Just wanted you to know I enjoyed reading the feedback — once I finally discovered it.
Still learning…Peace Garden Mama

I am in the process of baking homemade, old fashioned way bread today! Too bad Far Guy does not live next door because I would have let him help me and show him how its done. I actually learned to bake bread from reading my Betty Crocker bread cookbook…the first few batches were a bit rough. (I thought they were done when the top turned brown but I found out later that they were raw in the center) We ate 6 loaves anyway because we mde the poverty list when my husband was a graduate student! (we got through on our own however) I can still taste that half raw bread….but I learned fast and have been baking bread and rolls ever since. There are a lot of things I cannot do or will not try—but baking bread the old fashioned way is one of my fortes!!!!

I really appreciated FarGuy’s comments on my blog about SUVIVORS….(of abortion) He made a lot of commenters look pretty silly and petty! Thanks go to him for his encouragement and support!

I’ve only made bread a couple of times, but my Mom used to make it a lot. Even later in life when she wasn’t able to do a lot, she still made homemade rolls for our Christmas gathering. My daughter has her recipe – hopefully she will find time to start making them for our family.

Roxane, with your busy life I admire your ability to blog!
Prairie Woman.. I am with you, the eating part is the best!
B Gal, You never cease to amaze me. Bake on!!
Far Guy…yes Blanche did say that!
Peggy, I am so glad you stopped by, at least you tried to bake homemade bread! ( I have never tried)
I am glad that the baking of the bread is not a lost art:)

I bake bread on occasion, and would bake more often if I had the time. I like all sorts of breads and rolls: yeast breads, quick breads, beer bread, etc. There is a book that I have been wanting to purchase for some time> Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. Home baked bread everyday would be fabulous.

My fondest memories of my trip to Europe was the role that breads played in the daily diet. You can’t find bread like that just anywhere.

Dang! I can smell that bread baking all the way over here! My aunt made homemade buns that were to die for! My mother-in-law still does a loaf now and then in her bread maker. I have a recipe given to me by my husband’s aunt, but it starts out with “use the water from boiling potatoes…”
Right…

Well if I knew you all were coming to give me comments today I would have baked some bread.. I lie, I would have eaten it all myself first!
Kari, I am hungry for fresh bread too!
Abra, Blog about the European bread sometime!
HOMD, It is all in your fruitful imagination! Good to have you back!

I’m so surprised! You’ve never tried? As a youngster I had several failed attempts, but as a young adult my old music teacher took me in hand and passed on her mother’s (the retired school cook) recipe/tips. Now I usually bake gluten free bread, which is a little trickier, but I have an awesome, EASY recipe I do with the kids. It’s great, because there’s NO MESS! It’s called “Bread in a Bag.” All the combining, mixing, and kneading is done in a ziploc baggie. Let me know if you want the recipe, and I’d love to know whatever you learn about European bread–it’s my fav and I can still eat it sometimes, even with the gluten!